Chapter 391: The Girl from the Dream Steps into Reality
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 391: The Girl from the Dream Steps into Reality
In the pitch-black night, the hours before dawn are the darkest of the day. It is the time when most people are lost in the depths of their dreams.
Yet, in a dark alleyway, a figure moved with extreme caution, feeling her way along the wall.
Despite her care, her toes occasionally kicked a pebble or tripped over some unseen obstacle, sending discordant sounds echoing through the silent night.
The girl struggling through the darkness was named Qiu Ruxin. Ordinarily, she should have been tucked away in her own bed, enjoying a pleasant dream. But those were memories of a time gone by.
That life no longer belonged to her.
She had to remain vigilant at all times to avoid being discovered by those who wished her harm. Even now, she didn't dare move too quickly. The world had changed; society was gradually collapsing, and the night remained the playground of rampant criminals.
She needed to find a place that would take her in—it didn't matter if it was dilapidated or crude.
However, she had very little money and couldn't afford a guesthouse or a hotel. She could only rely on luck to find a sanctuary here. She didn't even dare wait until daylight to handle these matters, for the day might be even more chaotic.
Under the cover of night, Qiu Ruxin reached an abandoned factory. Theoretically, this should have been an excellent place to stay, but once she saw it clearly, she hesitated.
It wasn't because the place was eerie, dark, or terrifying. It wasn't that she was afraid of ghosts—in this world, people were ten thousand times more terrifying than ghosts!
An abandoned factory this conspicuous had likely been occupied long ago. If she walked in recklessly, she would be a lamb walking straight into a lion's den.
Having realized this, she didn't linger. But just as she turned to leave, a piercing metallic screech rang out. Qiu Ruxin instinctively looked back to see a massive iron gate slowly moving...
No, it wasn't moving—it was collapsing!
By the time Qiu Ruxin reacted, the heavy iron gate was already falling toward her.
"Ugh..."
The sudden impact of the gate pinned Qiu Ruxin down, forcing a soft groan from her lips.
She didn't scream like an ordinary girl, nor did she immediately cry out for help. She knew all too well that doing so would only lead to a swifter death, or a fate worse than death.
Even so, the heavy metal gate hitting the ground sent a jarring crash through the night.
"Damn it... if only I'd known..."
Qiu Ruxin cursed under her breath. Using her slender arms, she pushed against the gate pinning her down. Ignoring the pain racking her body, she scrambled up and turned to run, the pitch-black night serving as her best protection.
Immediately after, she heard a commotion coming from inside the abandoned factory. Her suspicions were confirmed—people were already there.
The pursuers clearly had no intention of letting her go. Rapid footsteps and foul curses echoed behind her. She ducked into several consecutive narrow alleys, desperate to lose them. They didn't know she was a girl; at most, they thought she was some brat who had broken their gate and needed to be taught a lesson. If she could just put enough distance between them, she could escape.
Just as she found a quiet corner and thought she could rest, a figure suddenly rose from behind her and locked an arm around her throat.
"Heh... a little wench delivered herself right into my bed!"
"Mmph! Mmph..."
Qiu Ruxin was caught in a chokehold. The man's other hand clamped over her mouth. The sudden turn of events made her realize she had let her guard down too soon!
Who would have thought a homeless man would be sleeping on the ground right here?
In this moment of crisis, driven by survival instinct, she gripped the man's arm with both hands to keep herself from suffocating. Simultaneously, she slammed her heel backward onto his foot. She stomped several times, the first few making sharp thuds against the ground, until the fourth strike failed to make a sound—replaced instead by a wretched scream from the homeless man.
Her hard, though not particularly high, heel had landed squarely on his toes. The force was enough to crush them to splinters.
The arm around her neck loosened.
She immediately bit down hard on the hand covering her mouth. Blood seeped between her teeth, a testament to her merciless grip.
The faint taste of rust spread in her mouth, but she didn't care. she had to get out of here!
The man's cry of pain would likely attract the thugs from before. If they caught her, she wouldn't be facing just one person, and they would be far more dangerous than this homeless man.
But as she tried to bolt, a whistling sound cut through the air toward her.
She didn't need to look to know it was a projectile. Before she could turn to dodge, a sharp pain exploded in her back. A solid metal rod had struck her squarely. Fortunately, it wasn't the end of the rod that hit her, or it might have impaled her and caused a fatal wound.
"You little bitch... you dare bite me! See if I don't..." The homeless man began to curse as he limped toward her.
The blow was followed by a torrent of filth spewing from his mouth.
The heavy strike left Qiu Ruxin weak. The intense pain stimulated her consciousness, making her body feel out of control. With a metallic clang, the metal rod rolled to her feet. Qiu Ruxin, slumped on the ground, spun around, snatched up the rod, and stood to face him.
"Stay back!"
Qiu Ruxin deliberately kept her voice low and raspy, her tone laced with a hint of madness, like a cornered mad dog.
But the man wasn't intimidated. Throwing the rod had been an instinctive act; even facing a young girl, he simply picked up a nearby brick, showing no fear.
The situation made her realize she had miscalculated. She hadn't expected him to be crazier than she was.
However, the sound of a noisy crowd approaching from not far away caused both Qiu Ruxin and the homeless man to stiffen.
"Tch... damn it... what a waste of time!"
The homeless man was crazy, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that anyone wandering around at this hour wasn't someone to mess with. He turned tail and ran without looking back.
"Hey! Brothers, she's really here!"
As the malicious voices drew closer, the sound of many footsteps became the most oppressive thing in the dark night. The sheer number of people told Qiu Ruxin that tonight would not end well. Now, only the iron rod in her hand provided a sliver of false security.
"Ooh~ what a pleasant surprise. It's a girl!"
"Looks like we're having a feast tonight, boys!"
The group of men approached Qiu Ruxin with wicked grins and lewd laughter, completely ignoring the iron rod she held.
After all, these thugs had chased her out because she'd "broken" their gate. They were naturally armed with their own tools—iron bars, rebar, and whatever else they could find. How could a group of grown men be afraid of a little girl?
"Stay back... if you come any closer, I won't hesitate to take one of you down with me," the girl threatened.
The thugs didn't believe her for a second. they continued to close in until Qiu Ruxin was backed into a corner with nowhere left to retreat.
Suddenly, Qiu Ruxin lunged with the iron rod, aiming directly at the man in the lead.
The man hadn't expected the girl to be so decisive and ruthless. At this distance, he couldn't even dodge. He instinctively raised his arm to block, taking the full force of the blow. It was lucky for him that his arm took the hit; had it struck his carotid artery or his neck, it was doubtful he'd still be standing.
Crack.
The sound of a bone snapping followed by a scream of agony sent a shock through the group.
"Aaaagh! My arm... You! You're a Reinforcer!" The thug whose forearm had been snapped looked at her with a flash of terror, which was instantly replaced by rage.
"Kill her! She's not even an entry-level Reinforcer, and she dares break my arm!"
The men on either side of him had initially felt like retreating when they heard she was a Reinforcer, but upon hearing she was "not even entry-level," their fear vanished. They embodied the essence of "bullying the weak and fearing the strong" in that single moment.
Qiu Ruxin's heart sank to the bottom of her chest. She knew she had no options left. As for being a Reinforcer—she didn't deny it. She had indeed used things like Enhancement Essence, but as the man said, she wasn't entry-level. Combined with the natural disadvantage of her stature, she couldn't possibly fight off so many men.
If it had just been the homeless man, she felt she could have fought her way out. But now... she was at a dead end.
As they subjected her to verbal harassment, humiliation, and curses, a sliver of despair took root in her heart. Her angry eyes were now tinged with fear and helplessness.
In that moment, she desperately wished someone would help her. But there was no one. Even if someone did appear, it would likely just be another predator looking to steal the prize.
As the thugs surged forward aggressively, Qiu Ruxin fought with everything she had. But even with a physique slightly stronger than an average person's, she couldn't hold out against several thugs. She was subdued in just a few exchanges.
"Everyone stop! Let me do it!"
The one with the broken arm stood up, howling in pain, his rage boiling over. He wanted blood for blood!
"Your arm is broken, you useless piece of trash. What are you yelling for?" One of the men holding the girl snapped at him. They didn't want this guy ruining the toy they had just caught.
"You! Do you have any idea who I work for?!"
"I don't care who you are. With a broken arm, you're a cripple! And it's your right hand, too. I'm warning you, stay back. You don't get a share of this girl."
"You! Just you wait..." The man with the broken arm realized the reality of his situation. With a dark expression, he turned and ran.
They were thugs. If his arm was broken, no one would look after him; he'd be lucky if they didn't kick him while he was down. As for medical treatment—hah, that cost a fortune. It wasn't something a low-level thug could afford. He could only pray that after setting the bone, his hand wouldn't be useless, and that his enemies wouldn't come knocking.
But Qiu Ruxin didn't have the luxury of thinking about his problems. She only hoped they would turn on each other, but clearly, things weren't going to go her way.
"Let go! Let me go!" Even now, Qiu Ruxin didn't stop struggling. Facing this wretched life, perhaps death would be a welcome escape.
Yet, beneath that, she still possessed a will to live that even she didn't fully understand.
Slap!
A crisp sound echoed through the night.
Qiu Ruxin's head spun from the force of the blow.
"Still struggling? You wanted to bite someone earlier, didn't you? Let's see if that slap wakes you up!" the thug sneered.
But Qiu Ruxin could no longer hear what he was saying. Her vision was blurred, and her ears were filled with a constant ringing.
She was unwilling to accept this fate, but at this very moment... unless a miracle happened... but how could that be possible?
In the next instant, through her blurred vision, she thought she saw a golden butterfly flash past her eyes, before dissolving into specks of starlight. It happened so fast she thought she was hallucinating.
She waited for a long time, almost resigning herself to her fate, but the expected humiliation never came.
She forced her eyes open. A glowing pattern had manifested on the ground—a circle of strange, luminous runes. This anomaly terrified the thugs, who didn't dare step forward.
Faced with the unknown, everyone's instinct was fear. No one was willing to risk their life to test the unknown, especially in a world as cursed as this one.
As the magic-circle-like object flared with light, a hand suddenly reached out from the ritual array. Then, a figure slowly rose from the ground.
Confronted with a reality that defied their understanding and the terror of an unknown power, the thugs chose... to run.
"G-ghost! It's a ghost!"
"Run! It's a monster!"
Just like that, the group wailed and fled even faster than the man with the broken arm.
In truth, these thugs knew that even if the newcomer wasn't a ghost or a monster, they were still someone they couldn't afford to provoke—the kind of person they would normally go out of their way to avoid.
Qiu Ruxin stared at the figure, equally startled by the commotion. A person... had just appeared out of thin air before her!
She wasn't naive enough to think that this newcomer would necessarily be kind to her. Facing such an unknown, the despair in her heart only deepened.
But even if she was going to die, she wanted to know who this person was.
Before the light of the ritual faded, Qiu Ruxin looked at the figure. For some reason, she felt... a sense of familiarity. Especially that long, silver-white hair and that familiar silhouette...
When the person turned around, she saw that familiar face and those unforgettable blood-red eyes... There was no mistake!
This was the person who had appeared in her dreams!
The person from the dream... had stepped into reality?!
As much as she couldn't believe it, the fact was right before her eyes. As the ritual dissipated, the surroundings returned to darkness.
But a moment later, a light source illuminated the corner.
Qiu Ruxin looked in astonishment at the silver-haired girl. A light had inexplicably appeared at the tip of her finger, its intensity shifting from a momentary blinding flash to a comfortable glow.
Qiu Ruxin wanted to ask something, but then she remembered that in the dream, she had realized the other person... didn't seem to understand her language...
However, in the next moment, a clear, youthful female voice echoed in her mind.
"I mean no harm. Looking at you... are you alright?"
Qiu Ruxin's eyes widened in disbelief. This was... consciousness communication?!
In just a brief encounter, the other girl had given her too many surprises. But the weight that had been pressing on her heart... finally seemed to lift.
* * *
That's right, the girl who just made a hero's entrance is me!
As for why I appeared at such a critical moment... I can't say for sure. Perhaps... it was a matter of Luck.
I adjusted the alchemical glasses I hadn't taken off since my research and looked at the familiar girl before me.
I guess this counts as an "offline meeting," doesn't it?
The girl in front of me... she really is in a sorry state.